Upon hearing Yu Chen's unexpected cheesy remark, the first thing Luo Xiaolei did was turn her head towards him. She was shocked not just by his sudden cheesy words but also by his shockingly sexy voice that she reacted recklessly, resulting into a somewhat… cute accident.
Yu Chen was still leaning on her with his lips close to her ear when Lou Xiaolei suddenly turned, causing the tip of her nose to crush on his lips.
The already stunned Luo Xiaolei felt her heart stop beating as soon as his warm and soft lips touched against the tip of her nose. She felt as though time suddenly stood still for a moment and she almost forget how to breathe.
But then, too soon, Yu Chen leaned away. "I'm sorry, is your nose alright?" he said, sounding worried as he raised his hand. His fingers hesitantly moved close to the tip her nose, seemingly unsure of whether to touch it or not.
Luo Xiaolei blinked, thoroughly dazed, until her brain had somewhat unscramble itself and was working fine again. She coughed slightly to gather her composure before looking at him again. "I'm fine. The impact wasn't that strong." She forced an awkward smile but Yu Chen seemed a little bit unconvinced.
"But… I felt that it hit my teeth." He reasoned out and then, swiftly, his thumb landed on the tip of her nose. He started rubbing it as gentle as ever, as if he was casting a certain magical potion to drive every little pain away.
At that very moment, the couple, Hinari and Zaki, who had followed Yu Chen halted a few steps away from them. They had stopped in their tracks a while ago when Hinari saw Yu Chen whisper intimately into Luo Xiaolei's ear.
"Zaki, my love, are you sure that this Mr. Yu really needs an advice from me? Look at him – those swift, smooth, and seemingly candid moves from him. Look at how he made his poor fiancée thoroughly dazed… he absolutely doesn't act like an innocent noob at all!" Hinari explained and it looked like even her dearest husband was obviously quite surprised with what he was seeing. But eventually, Zaki began complaining softly as well.
"Er… you're right. When did this little devil learn to flirt so smoothly like that? Did he find a good coach before he came here? I'm certain that all that guy knew before was nothing but his business and enemies. I told you before right? That that little devil couldn't even look at any girl's eyes for more than five seconds. He doesn't even make eye contact when he speaks with Davi, even though she's been his doctor for a long while now."
As the couple continued whispering to each other they saw Luo Xiaolei catch Yu Chen's wrist, stopping the man from rubbing her nose while she smiled at him.
Hinari and Zaki didn't approach them because they didn't want to disturb their sweet moment but when Luo Xiaolei's eyes finally fell on them, Hinari considered it as a signal that it was time for them to join in so Hinari then pulled her husband and walked closer to them.
The moment Hinari stood before them with a warm smile, Zaki was the first to speak. "Little future Sis-in-law, meet my wife, Hinari – wifey, this is Luo Xiaolei, Yu Chen's fiancée." He introduced them, gesturing casually with his hand, a friendly smile on his face.
"Hello dear, nice to meet you." Hinari stepped forward to shake hands with her and Luo Xiaolei looked surprised.
She was smiling wide and her eyes were dazzling as she looked at her in admiration. "Oh my gosh, nice to meet you too Hinari-sensei, I am your certified fan!" Luo Xiaolei reached for Hinari's hand as she exclaimed and Hinari looked surprise.
"Wow, really?"
"Yes, I'm a fan of your novels. I love them and you're awesome!"
"Thank you, I didn't expect this. I'm flattered."
"I'm so lucky to finally meet you in person." As the two exchanged words, Luo Xiaolei slowly turned a bit emotional. Since she returned back in time, Luo Xiaolei always felt as though she could no longer trust anyone. She experienced too many betrayals in her previous life – not only from that man she claimed she once loved, but also from her very own family and even the people she once called as her friends – that she didn't even want to get too attached to anyone anymore. This was why despite these long four years, Luo Xiaolei didn't have anyone she could even call as her close friend. She had classmates she talked to and hung out with at school but she never had someone close enough for her to open up to. The only one she considered as her close friend in these past four years was a certain author who didn't even know she existed. Well, somehow, right now, things had finally changed and this certain author now at least knew she existed.
One of Hinari's books entitled, "Whatever the price", was Luo Xiaolei's favorite. It was a story of another Cinderella girl who had an unfortunate childhood which was filled with pain and betrayals. The author emphasized the idea of the saying 'the strongest trees grow with the wind against them' in the story. But the main reason why Luo Xiaolei loved the book was because she felt as though the author seemed to understand her, her choices, her struggles and her feelings. She was encouraged just by reading it because the book somehow convinced her that the path she had chosen in this second life of hers was not another mistake. And it inspired her to never doubt her decision and to never let anything to drag her down again.
"I'm really happy to meet you." As Luo Xiaolei spoke, Hinari immediately noticed the emotion in her eyes so she stepped forwards and embraced her.
"I'm really happy to meet you as well dear." Hinari said as they embraced each other. They continued hugging for a long while, as if this was not the first time they met.
Meanwhile, Zaki who was currently looking at Yu Chen noticed the forming of gloomy clouds above his head and he chuckled. Pfft! Goodness, don't tell me you're getting jealous of my wife… sigh, you really remind me of a certain someone…
Zaki was grinning as he moved close to Yu Chen who couldn't even tear his eyes away from the two ladies in a tight embrace. He wrapped his arm around Yu Chen's shoulders but the man didn't even glance at him.
"Sigh… is little devil jealous?" he whispered in the little devi's ear and he felt him stiffened, causing him to grin even wider. "You want a hug too, huh," he added and Yu Chen finally looked at him, and then out of the blue. . . Zaki opened his arms wide in front of Yu Chen.
Zaki: "Come, this big bro of yours will embrace you."
Yu Chen: ". . ."